I’ll be doing archery. I have an elk and a deer tag! Hope this gives a little more insight
If you have an archery tag already sounds like you at least know what side of the mountains you want to hunt. If I was brand new to hunting, I'd look at the WDFW harvest statistics for areas on the side I picked, starting with what public land is closest to you. Finding something close will mean more times you can go out and scout the area, looking for sign of the animals(rubs, scat, maybe even an antler or 2). Dont just practice shooting while standing. Shoot on your knees, down on one knee, etc. Shot opportunities come at odd moments.
